


Stages One Through Four (A Guide)

by ResidentHesitant



Series: Traffic Report Timeline [3]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album)
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempts, Nightmares, Nonbinary Character, Paranoia, Suicidal Thoughts, the funpoison is very lowkey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 01:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15547035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ResidentHesitant/pseuds/ResidentHesitant
Summary: Three weeks since the Traffic Report. Three weeks since Jet and Kobra died. And Party Poison has become unpredictable, dangerous, actions riskier than ever.





	Stages One Through Four (A Guide)

**Author's Note:**

> guess what!! the writing machine is crankin once again!! hope y'all're ready for Drama™ and lowkey funpoison since this technically takes place a few years after Static (go read it too! it's much less sad!)

_“Where are they?” ._

_“What?”_ _  
_

_“Where’d Mikey go? Did he go out?”_

_“He’s… Party, he’s not--”_

* * *

 

“We need to leave.”

“Leave?” Ghoul looks up, placing the still-hot soldering iron on the table to cool. Poison had been pacing for a while, since before dawn. Thinking. Quiet.

“We need to leave,” they repeat, “It’s not safe here.”

“Par- Party, what are you--” Ghoul couldn’t process what they were saying. He stands. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s not safe here. _We’re_ not safe here.” They start pacing again. “We’re down two, we’re less defended, they will _find_ us and we’ll be _dead_ like Jet and Kobra, and Grace will be _alone_.”

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Jet and Kobra went on a supply run and got ambushed and had their deaths reported by Dr. Death on WKIL. This was probably the first time since that Poison had said their names.

“You don’t know that. We’re safe here, we always have been.”

“But for how _long?_ How long are we gonna be safe here? How long until they find us?”

“Quiet down. You’re gonna wake Grace up. She’s been having nightmares, you know that.” They’ve all been sleeping in Poison’s room as of late. Safety, strength in numbers.

“We’re not always going to be able to protect her. We couldn’t protect Jet and Kobra, what makes you think--”

“Stop. They knew the risk, and we did too. They were ambushed. We’re not gonna get ambushed.”

“But how do you _know?_ ”

“I don’t!” Ghoul says, throwing up his arms, “But I’m not about to get paranoid about it! There’s enough we don’t know, why add to the fear? It’s always on my mind, yeah, but not that much! Yeah, we could die, but we’ve got to live day to day! For _her_ , at least!”

“That might not be enough.”

* * *

 

“Run. Go. Fucking-- just run!” Poison shoves at Ghoul’s shoulder, the gas station they were sheltered in accosted, gun ready. “Get in the fucking car and get out of here!”

“No! I’m not going to fucking leave you!”

“Shut up and go! Take Grace and get out of here!” they hiss, pushing Ghoul again. Outside, a squad of Draculoids circle the gas station, though they haven’t yet seen the car, or if they have, they haven’t cared. The Girl is one room away, waiting for Ghoul and Poison to get her out of there. “You can drive, you can get out of here!”

“I’m not going to let you get yourself killed!” Ghoul pulls at Poison’s wrist, urging them to get up, for them both to get up and go. “You’re going to get us all killed if you stay! It’s suicide!”

“Let me do this! Let me fucking die, then! Go, run, get out of here, forget me, I don’t care! Let me fight them off!”

“No! You’re coming with us! If you don’t--” Ghoul didn’t have a chance to finish the threat. One Drac kicks the door in, three more following after. Ghoul and Poison both freeze behind the counter. “Shit.”

* * *

 

It’s quiet at Dr. Death’s hideout, the night cool and the desert empty. The Trans Am is parked in the back, and Fun Ghoul is smoking a cigarette. He raises it to his lips and takes a long drag, exhaling just as slowly. Long fuckin’ day. He takes another drag, savoring the taste. Might as well make it last. He doesn’t have that many smokes left.

Ghoul glances at the back door to the hideout, no loud noise coming from inside. It’s quiet, everything’s quiet. No cars speeding across the sand, no lasers firing. They made it here alive. That’s got to count for something. He closes his eyes, leaning back against the car.

“What the fuck?!” The door slams open, startling Ghoul. Poison is silhouetted in the doorway, the light making their shadow stretch across the ground. They storm over to Ghoul, furious. Under their shirt, Ghoul sees that their shoulder has been bandaged up. Good. But they’re yelling in his face. Less good. “What the fuck, Ghoul?”

Ghoul takes another drag of his cigarette, blows the smoke to the side. No need to be confrontational yet. “What?”

“You _know_ what!” Poison shouts, shoving Ghoul into the car door. Never mind, then. Ghoul winces, stubbing his cigarette out on the car.

“Is this about me _saving_ your fucking _life_?” Ghoul stands up straight, glaring back at Poison. “That blast would’a got you between the eyes. You were going to get yourself killed.”

“Maybe I wanted to!”

Ghoul freezes, stomach sinking.

“...What did you say?”

“Maybe…” Poison deflates, loses their anger. “I wanted to.”

“Party…” Fuck. It’s not like Ghoul didn’t see that coming. “You…” Ghoul knew that was coming. He knew, he had known for days. The sinking feeling in his gut rises back up, cold and angry. “...Are you fucking kidding me?”

Poison looks up, almost surprised.

“Are you serious?” he says, voice low, “Are you fucking kidding me? You think you can just do that?”

“Kobra’s dead, Ghoul. Jet and Kobra are dead! What’s another dead killjoy?”

“What’s another dead killjoy? What’s another _dead killjoy?_ What about me? What about _Grace_?!” He steps forward, shoving Poison back, right in their injured shoulder. They stumble back. “You think you can just leave us? You think you have that right?! I can’t lose you!” He's shaking, trembling from rage.

There’s quiet. Crickets. Wind through the grass.

“...Fuck,” Party says, taking a deep breath, “Fuck, Ghoul, I…”

“Yeah. I know. This fucking sucks and our team has less people and it’s terrible.” Ghoul still sounds angry; he is, but not at Party. “But we’re... still here. And Grace is still here, and Doc and Cherri and Pony are all still here.”

“Gogo’s still here,” Party mumbles, “And Hot Chimp.”

“Exactly.” Ghoul sighs, tugging Party over to the hood of the car by the wrist. “Sit with me.” Party nods, scooting back on the car, shoulder touching Ghoul’s, Ghoul’s hand covering theirs. “Sorry I hit your bad shoulder.”

“I deserved it,” Party snorts lowly. They sigh. “What’re we gonna do?”

“What do you mean?”

“About us. About Grace. It can’t be safe for her to stay with us.” They tip their head back, looking at the stars. “When Kobra and I still lived in the city, our grandmother lived with us. She taught me how to draw. We loved her more than anything. And when she died, we all knew it wasn’t an accident.” Ghoul’s hand tightens around Party’s. “And I didn’t get out of bed for a month. Nearly killed myself, it was fuckin’... miserable. I was so angry and- and upset that I couldn’t--” They shake their head. “The Kid and I left soon after. I’m... not sure where I was going with this. Maybe that death fucks me up. Almost ten years, and I want to run away again. Like a little kid.”

Ghoul just nods, keeps his shoulder pressed against Party’s. They'd decide later.

**Author's Note:**

> ;D  
> catch me on tumblr @probablypartypoison


End file.
